Ingot mold for casting type metal pigs



March 2, 1937. E. H. HOSTETLER INGOT MOLD FOR CASTING TYPE METAL PIGS Filed Aug. 10, 1936 BY I ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 2, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Elmer 'Bl Hostetler, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor to Intertype- Corporation, Brooklyn, N. Y., a corporationof New York Application August 10, 1936, Serial No. 95,211

2 Claims.

The present invention relates to ingot molds for casting pigs of type metal, and more especially pigs adapted to be employed with cold pig metal feeders of the kinds commonly used for supplying type metal to the metal pots of typographical machines.

An example of such a pig metal feeder is disclosed in U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,175,466 granted March 14, 1916 to A. L. Margach, al- 10 though it will be understood that pigs of type metal produced in accordance with the present invention may be used in other types of pig metal feeders. The pig of type metal is ordinarily cast with an eye in one end, and in feeding such pigs 15 to the metal pot of a typographical machine, the pig is suspended on a hook fastened to the end of a chain or other feed device and engaged in the eye of the pig, the metal feeder slowly lowering the pig into the pot of molten metal at sub- 20 stantially the same rate at which the molten metal is pumped from the pot in casting type slugs, means being provided for controlling automatically the feed or lowering of the pig, as will be'understood from the above-noted patent.

Heretofore, the ingot mold for casting the pig of type metal has been provided near one end with a core to form the eye in the pig for supporting the latter on the hook of the metal feeder, the charge of molten metal poured into the ingot mold flowing entirely around the core and closing the eye on all sides. However, the employment of a closed eye in the pig has proved to be objectionable since, when the pig has been melted oif up to the eye, by the lowering of the 35 pig into the metal pot, the remaining stub portion still hanging on the hook of the metal feed.- er is too hot to handle conveniently, and it can only be knocked or shaken ofi the turned up end of the hook with dificulty and possible splashing 40 of molten metal as the stub of the pig falls into the metal pot.

The primary object of the present invention is to overcome such diiflculty of removing the unmelted stub end of metal pigs from feeder 45 hooks on which they are supported, by providing a slot or opening leading from the eye to the exterior of the pig, the slot or opening being preferably at the top of the eye and formed by a web provided in the mold in which the pig is 50 originally cast. By thus forming a slot intersecting the eye in the pig, melting of the latter to a point just above the bottom end of the eye results in the thus-separated stub portions of the pig freeing themselves from and falling by grav- 55 ity from the heck of the feeder, so that all dimculty of removing the stub of the pig from the hook is eliminated.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the present drawing wherein:-

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an ingot mold embodying the present invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal section through one end of the mold, taken on the line 2-2 in Figure 1;

Figs. 3 and 4 are side and front elevations of a pig cast in the mold shown in Figure 1;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section through a portion of a conventional metal pot for a typographical machine, showing the pig produced according to the present invention supported on the hook of a metal feeder and Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 but shows the pig consumed, by lowering thereof into the pot of molten metal, to a point just above the bottom of the eye, the remaining separate portions of the stub being about to fall into the metal pot.

Similar parts are designated by the same reference characters in the several figures.

Preferably, as shown in Fig. 1, the ingot mold comprises a cast iron form I provided with a hollowed out trough 2 into which molten type metal from a furnace or ladle may be poured until the trough is filled. One end of the trough is provided with a core 3 rising from the bottom thereof for forming the eye 4 in the metal pig, the eye portion of the body of the pig being preferably reduced in thickness or cross section, as indicated at 5 in Fig. 3, such reduction in thickness being produced by the filling piece 6 which reduces the depth of the trough at the corresponding end of the mold. A handle 1 attached to one end of the mold serves as means to manipulate the mold to dump the pig therefrom when it has become chilled, and legs 8 near the opposite ends of the mold and at each side thereof serve to support the mold in an upright level position on the foundry floor.

Heretofore, no means has been provided in molds of this class to prevent the metal from flowing completely around the core member 3, so that the pigs have been cast with an eye closed on all sides. According to the present invention, a web 9 is provided in the mold to prevent the flow of metal around the core member, this web providing a closed wall connected to the core member throughout its height and extending from the core member to the adjacent end wall of the mold. In the present instance, this web extends upwardly from the shallow bottom por tion 6 of the mold and to the full height of the line casting or other typographical machine, the

surrounding wall thereof. Consequently. when the type metal is poured into the improved mold to flll it, the web 9 will prevent the flow of the molten metal completely around the core memher 3 so that the metal pig in will be cast with an open slot ll intersecting the eye 4 of the pig, the slot ll produced by the web 9 being sufliciently narrow to allow the pig, despite its great weight, to be retained on the hook without spreading of the eye, the hook engaging in the eye at opposite sides of the slot.

In feeding type metal pigs produced according to the presentinvention into the metal pot of a pig I0 is suspended on the hook I 2 attached to the lower end of the feed chain l3 of the metal feeder and the latter will gradually lower the pig into the molten metal M in the metal pot through suitable escapement mechanism and a float or other control such as ordinarily employed in metal feeders and as disclosed for example in the patent hereinbefore referred to, the pig being shown so suspended in Fig. 5. After the pig ID has been consumed or melted up to the bottom of the eye 4 by lowering of the pig into the metal pot, as shown in Fig. 6, the open slot Ill above the eye 4 will permit the stub portions Hi and I0, thus separated at the bottom of the eye, to fall off the hook by gravity and into the metal pot, these stub portions being shown in Fig. 6 as they are about to lose their support on the hook and to fall into the pot. Removal of the remaining stub portion of the pig from the hook thus takes place automatically, without requiring any manual manipulation by an attendant, and since a,o7a,e17

' the melting of the portion of the pig at the bottom of-the eye will take place gradually, the thusally from the hook without splashing the molten type metal in the metal pot.

I claim as my invention:

1. An ingot mold for casting a type metal pig having a supporting eye for feeding it into the molten metal in the metal pot of a line casting machine and discharging the unconsumed portion thereof into the pot, said mold comprising an elongated trough-shaped portion for casting the body of the pig, a core extending upwardly in the trough adjacent to one end and to the top thereof for casting a supporting eye in the pig, and a slot-forming web of less width than but of" the full height of said core and extending therefrom to the adjacent wall of the trough for casting an open slot from the eye to the exterior of the pig cast in said trough.

2. An ingot mold for casting type metal pigs adapted to discharge into the metal pot of a line casting machine the unconsumed portion thereof engaging a supporting hook above the pot, said mold comprising an elongated trough for casting the body of the his, a vertical core member extending upwardly in the trough near one end thereof forforming a supporting eye in the pig, 

